Assam SE 1675 rupee KM-145
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Assam (Ahom Kingdom) began striking coins based on the rupee system in the 1600's. The design elements were borrowed from nearby Cooch Behar, but the octagonal shape was an invention of the Assamese. The Ahom script was used up through the reign of Gadadhara Simha, after which Sanskrit was used for most issues. Saka Era (SE) dates are 78 years earlier than current year dates in Western countries. Shown is a rupee From Rajesvara Simha. This king struck an unusually diverse array of coins, which included legend translations in four languages. The example shown has legends in Nagari. The second specimen was lot 2434 in Steve Album Auction 55 (Santa Rosa, CA, May 2026), where it sold for $600. The catalog description[1] noted, "ASSAM: Rajesvara Simha, 1751-1769, AR rupee, SE1675, KM-145, rare one-year type with the legends in the Nagari script, NGC graded EF45."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 10.7-11.6 g, silver.
Catalog reference: KM 145, Rhodes and Bose O82.1.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Rhodes, N. G., and Bose, S. K. The Coinage of Assam - Volume II Ahom Period. Kolkata, India: A.O.P Pvt. Ltd., 2004.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Hanbing Feng, Auction 55, featuring Selections from the Swamperbob Gurney Collection of Cap & Ray 8 Reales, the Kenneth A. Bovenkamp Collection of Ottoman Coins and the 1914 Collection of World Coins, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2026.
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